Izuku did his best to calm his mind as his class milled around him quietly chattering amongst themselves while Izuku silently berated himself.

The literal one thing you had to do today and you completely forget! Kacchans never gonna let me live it down if I go up there and botch the oath! Shit, I don't even know what the oath is!

"Hey Midoriya!"

Izuku jumped slightly and looked up at Kirishima, who was standing over him with a grin, "you ready man?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." he sighed, standing up as Kirishima gave him a pat on the shoulder,

"just relax man, you got this!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"Yeah...you're right." Izuku muttered, slowly moving to the entrance with everyone else.

"Midoriya."

Izuku stopped and looked back to Todoroki, who was standing tall, looking at the other boy with an intense stare.

"What is it Todoroki?" Izuku asked cautiously.

"...objectively speaking, I believe I am stronger than you are. And I want you to know that no matter what, I will be aiming to crush you in the festival. I will not be beat."

Izuku actually smirked as Kirishima began spluttering.

"Come on Todoroki! There's no need to declare war on each other!"

"It's alright Kirishima," Izuku said as Bakugo stepped over, "this festival is gonna test all of us." izuku said loudly, making sure everyone heard, "as of right now we'll be actively competing against each other for a chance to win." he looked at Todoroki, who didn't flinch away from his hard gaze, "you're gonna crush me? Well then you better be ready to use that fire Todoroki, because I'll be bringing everything I got for this. "

Bakugo sneered, "you two done posturing?"

"I am." Izuku said, walking to the exit, 'lets hit it."

The stadium was loud with cheering fans as Izuku stood with his class, hands in his pockets as Present Mic began to open the games.

"GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL! TODAY WE WILL BE WATCHING AS THE FIRST YEAR CLASSES GO HEAD TO HEAD TO SHOW THEIR STUFF! LOOKING DOWN AT THE ENTRANCE TUNNEL NOW WE HAVE THE HERO DEPARTMENTS CLASS 1A AND 1B!"

Izuku looked about with a whistle as they walked, "you gonna be ale to get it up number 2?" Izuku whispered to Bakugo, who instantly began to glower.

"Just you wait shitty deku." he grumbled as Izuku laughed.

"AND BEHIND THEM ARE OUR GENERAL COURSE CLASSES C,D, AND E! FOLLOWED UP BY SUPPORT COURSE CLASSES F, G, AND H! DON'T ALL THESE KIDS LOOK READY TO GO ERASURE!?"

"They all have their game faces on, that's for sure."

"RIGHT YOU ARE! NOW LETS GO DOWN TO THE FIELD, WHERE THE FIRST YEAR TOP STUDENT WILL BE GIVING THE SPORTSMANS OATH!"

Izuku took a calming breath before walking forward, stepping onto the main platform beside Midnight. He looked over all of the students. His eyes slowly falling onto Yui, who gave him a small smile and a thumbs up, Izuku smiles and begins to speak.

"I pledge today, to show good sportsmanship and honor, I pledge to treat my opponents with the respect they deserve and challenge them to go beyond Plus Ultra, and show themselves to be worthy of calling themselves students of UA."

As he finished the other students began to clap politely, Izuku nods to Midnight before heading back to his class.

"Should've just promised to win," Bakugo scoffed, "that's what I would've done."

"That's why you're not number one." Izuku said smugly as Midnight announced the first event. "Ready to see second place again?"

"Ready for me to kick your ass?"

Izuku grinned, "bring it Kacchan."

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"So, that's your nephew huh?"

Iroh smiled as he looked at the other inmate at his side, watching the TV where the Sports Festival was being covered. "That it is, he certainly has grown into himself since we last met." Iroh said serenely.

"Hey Dimo!" the guy called across the room, catching another inmate's attention, "put five soups on Midoriya! I got a good feeling about him!"

Iroh chuckled, "I'm glad you believe in my nephew."

"Come on, trained by the dragon of the west? Kids gotta be a powerhouse."

"Sawron!"

Iroh looked to the cell entrance, where two officers were waiting, "lets go, board is waiting for you."

Iroh stood, "do tell me what I miss." he said to his fellow inmates as he walked out.

"Good luck Iroh!"

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"GO!"

Izuku took off into the air, fire trailing behind him as the ice Todoroki tried to use to freeze everyone suddenly went up in steam, "did you think that would work?" Izuku taunts Todoroki as the two head straight for the Zero-Pointers, Todoroki freezes one while Izuku weaves through, doing his best to keep his momentum as he dodges Mineta's attempt at attacking him and slamming him into a three-pointer.

"AND THEY'RE OFF! WITH MIDORIYA AND TODOROKI LEADING BY A WIDE MARGIN!"

Izuku reached the canyon and instantly jumped, fire shooting from his feet and propelling him skyward once more.

"Not this time!" Todoroki snapped, sending a huge spike of ice at Izuku. Who vaults off of it at the last second; turning in mid air and unleashing a torrent of fire from his mouth, forcing Todoroki to jump back to avoid being burned while Izuku kept going, sporting a large grin.

"AND WITH A MOVE WORTHY OF A DRAGON, MIDORIYA TAKES THE LEAD!"

"No." Todoroki growled, running across the canyon while the others caught up.

"These two are crazy!" Uraraka shouted.

"You're barely realizing this?" Tsu asked as Iida began sliding down the ropes. "This is where I shine!"

Uraraka sighed as Tsu left, "Come on! You can't stop now!" she hyped herself up, floating across the canyon as Bakugo exploded past above her.

Izuku darted between the mines as fast as he could, eyes darting back as Todoroki came running up, "thought I lost you." Izuku said, getting into a defensive stance as Todoroki sent a wave of ice at him.

"I told you that I would beat you." Todoroki shouted as IZuku's fire went up against his ice, steam and vapor hissing into existence as Todoroki attacked, punches and Jabs forcing Izuku to dodge as he nimbly continued on. Not taking his eyes off Todoroki for once moment.

"DEKU!"

"Oh shit." Izuku groaned, jumping back further as Bakugo came rocketing in, destroying the area where he had just been.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN PLAY FOOTSIE WITH ICY-HOT AND PRETEND LIKE I'M NOT HERE TO KICK YOUR ASS TOO!?"

"Didn't know you were jealous Kacchan." Izuku taunted, dodging the explosive boys punches while countering Todoroki's own attacks. The two boys having apparently decided that Izuku was the bigger threat, with a taunting glint in his eyes, Izuku suddenly grabbed Bakugo's arm, grunting with exertion as he swung the other boy into Todoroki, sending them both into a cluster of mines.

"See ya!" Izuku called, firing off once more, passing the finish line before either could orient themselves.

"Damn it! That's on you Icy-hot!" Bakugo snarled, propelling himself forward as Todoroki regained his feet, letting out a huff of irritation before running after them.

Izuku groaned as he stretched, grinning cheekily as Bakugo ran past the line, "Number 2 again." he sighed, "you must like that position."

Bakugo gritted his teeth, 'Just you wait shitty deku, I'm gonna kill you the next round!" Bakugo exclaimed, pointing a finger at him as others began filtering in.

"Guys!" Uraraka cried, running over to them out of breath, "you guys...good job!" she congratulated them, giving both a thumbs up, "you guys were awesome!"

"Thanks Uraraka." Izuku chuckled, while Bakugo scowled.

"Oh come on Bakugo! You got second place!" Uraraka cheered, "shouldn't you be happy?"

"NO! NOT WHEN DEKU GETS FIRST!"

Uraraka rolled her eyes fondly, having grown used to the two's rivalry. "What do you guys think will happen in the next event?"

"Not sure, probably team oriented." Izuku said with a shrug as Midnight began calling everyone together for an announcement.

"It's now time for our second event!" she called as the giant screen behind her came to life, "CAVALRY BATTLE! It'll work like a regular playground cavalry battle, the rider will have a bandana that has the group's points. The points will be decided in increments of five. If you came in at 40th place, then you will have five points, and each place will increase by five all the way to second place."

"Lotta points." Izuku whistled.

"And first place will have Ten Million!"

Izuku froze, his face looking decidedly blank as everyone around him suddenly became VERY interested in the boy.

"Oh…" he whispered, closing his eyes, "oh fuck."

'You have thirty minutes to make your teams! Good luck!"

Izuku looked around quickly, already having a bad feeling as everyone refused to even look at him. "Hey Ojiro-" he started, heading towards his fellow martial artist, who chuckled awkwardly and waved him away.

"Sorry Midoriya." he said, walking off.

Izuku let his head hang, "yeah, i get it…" he sighed, looking about again.

"Midoriya!" Uraraka cheered, running up to him, "let's team up!"

"Thank god yes!" Izuku exclaimed, bowing to her, "you are a queen, an empress! Truly my thanks knows no bounds!"

"Wow I didn't think you wanted to team up with me so bad." Uraraka chuckled awkwardly.

"I was worried everyone would just ignore me." Izuku admitted, "how embarrassing would that have been? Thirty minutes up and i'm the only one without a team."

"Can't you solo just about everyone here?"

"That doesn't mean I want to!" Izuku sighed, looking about, "with you on the team we'll almost be a shoo-in...but who else...ah!" Izuku began walking over to Iida, "Hey Iida! Join my team! With your mobility and Uraraka's zero-gravity, we could easily win-"

"-I'm sorry Midoriya," Iida said, giving his friend a respectful bow, "but I have already joined a different team."

Izuku's shoulders fell a bit, "well shit...good luck then Iida." he said, giving his friend a confident grin before turning back to Uraraka, "well, now what?" he asked her, "do you know of anyone who'd be willing to join?"

"I would say Tsu but she was already talking to Choji-" Uraraka began before letting out a startled yelp as someone knew practically attacked Izuku.

"YOU! TEN MILLION! JOIN TEAMS WITH ME!" she exclaimed, making Izuku jump back a bit.

"Holy-where did you come from?" Izuku asked cautiously, arms up as Hatsume began to inspect him.

"The name Mei Hatsume!" she greeted, "Support course Class 1-H!"

"Okay...why do you want to partner with me?" he asked, relaxing slightly.

"Because you'll be where all the action is! And gives me the perfect chance to show off my precious babies!"

"Your...children?" Izuku sweatdropped beside Uraraka.

"Yes!" Hatsume suddenly whipped out a case, opening it to reveal several gadgets, "Grab whichever one you want! "

Izuku let out a slightly surprised laugh, "oh, I think you can be on this team." Izuku said, sharing a look with Uraraka who's nodding fervently. "We just need one more…" he looked up and moved off, approaching a lounging Tokoyami, "join us."

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"WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SECOND EVENT AND THINGS ARE HEATING UP!" Present Mic cheered, making Aizawa groan as he watched Izuku's team dart around the field, Izuku's fire warding off other teams while Tokoyami's dark shadow deflected any attempts at attacking, "MIDORIYA'S HOLDING STUBBORN TO THAT TEN MILLION! AND THE REST OF 1A ISN'T DOING SO GOOD!"

"They even took out Bakugo?" Izuku said in surprise as he looked at the leaderboard, "that doesn't bode well for anyone."

"What do you mean?" Uraraka asked as they took off into the sky once more.

"Bakugo's full of pride, you do anything to hurt that pride…" He trailed off as a series of explosions sounded, followed by a terrified scream, "yeah, that."

'It's a good thing he's not paying attention to us right?" Uraraka asked.

"...yeah, let's go with that!" Izuku said as they returned to the ground, almost instantly they were attacked once more as Ice walls surrounded them, "Cover yourselves!" Izuku warned, allowing Tokoyami to recall Dark Shadow before losing his fire around him. "Get ready to move again guys-" Izuku shouted, only to stare ahead in shock as Todoroki's team suddenly darted past, tearing his bandana off of his forehead, "No...no way…" Izuku whispered.

"AND JUST LIKE THAT, TODOROKI HAS THROWN MIDORIYA OUT OF THE RUNNING!"

Izuku looked back towards Todoroki, eyes narrowing, "tokoyami." Izuku began, "can you manifest Dark Shadow as soon as I cut my flames off?"

"I believe I can." Tokayami said with a nod.

"Good, because we're getting those points back, Hatsume! Uraraka! Hang on!"

Todoroki's eyes widened as Izuku's team was suddenly flying towards them, "Iida! We need to move!"

"My engines are still stalled!" Iida shouted, eyes widening as Team Midoriya was suddenly beside them, fire gone and Dark shadow darting forward.

Time slowed as Izuku watched fire begin to creep up Todoroki's left side as he attempts to shield from Tokoyami; without thinking, Izuku's own hand moves, redirecting Todoroki's fire and allowing Dark Shadow to swipe two bandana's off of Todoroki's neck.

"Fall back!" Izuku shouted, jolting slightly as Hatsume and Uraraka activated their hover boots, pulling the two boys back as the final buzzer sounded.

"AND FIRST PLACE IN THE LAST SECONDS! TEAM MIDORIYA!"

Izuku grinned as his teammates cheered, letting him down as he looked at the ten million headband, "good job Tokoyami, Dark shadow." Izuku said, nodding to the bird headed boy and his quirk.

"It was your quick thinking that even gave us the chance Midoriya," Tokoyami returned, "had you not redirected Todoroki's fire we would have never gotten the headband back.

"Team effort then." Izuku said easily as his team continued to celebrate as Midnight began to set up the bracket for the one on one battles, Izuku narrowed his eyes at the purple haired kid after Ojiro stepped down, "what do you think that was about?" Uraraka asked him quietly,

"I don't know…'' he muttered at Midnight dismissed them, "lets not worry about it for now, let's just get something to eat."

"Midoriya." Todoroki called, making Izuku pause as he looked to the half-and-half boy, he was as stoic as ever, but something else glinted in his eyes; was that uneasiness? "May I speak with you?"

Izuku thought about it, then nodded, following Todoroki into the tunnels with his hands in his pockets, "what's this about Todoroki?" he asked as they walked, "I'm kinda hungry."

"I...wanted to apologize." he muttered.

"For the declaration of war?" Izuku wondered, "not the 'coolest' thing you've ever done, but I understand-"

"Not that." Todoroki said pointedly, stopping just shy of actually leaving the stadium, "I...I used my fire...I had promised myself a long time ago that I would never use THAT quirk in battle...and the second I was overwhelmed, I used it…"

Izuku slowly leaned against the wall, staring at Todoroki with eyes full of understanding, "you know...I get it." he said slowly, "I was in a spot like you once-"

"-you have no idea what i've been through-" Todoroki began.

"-i know what it's like being scared of a fathers quirk." Izuku said pointedly, making Todoroki stop, "Not all of these scars on my body came from foster care." he continued, looking down at his hands, "my old man was abusive when he got the mind for it...and in my hate, my fear, and my doubt, I ended up killing him when my quirk finally manifested." he gave a humorless chuckle, "after that I didn't use my quirk for anything, I was so scared I was going to hurt someone...but someone close to me told me that I couldn't let fear control me. That I must master it as I must master myself." he looked at Todoroki, "i don't know why you don't want to use your fire; I don't know what Endeavor has done, or hasn't done, but I know what it means to be afraid of your quirk, and I know how all consuming that fear is...but you can't let it control you Todoroki, you can't go through life handicapping yourself to prove a point." he sighed and pushed off the wall, walking away from the still shell shocked todoroki.

"A fire quirk is dangerous in the hands of a troubled mind." Izuku said as he passed him, "I of all people should know that."

Todoroki didn't move until long after Izuku was gone, "he doesn't understand…" he whispered to himself, "he doesn't understand…"

Izuku walked towards the fairgrounds, intent on getting something to eat before the tournament began; when Ojiro walked up to him.

"Hey Midoriya...can...we talk real quick?"

Izuku sighed, "we're going to eat first, I'm starving."

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"AND WE'RE BACK WITH OUR FIRST MATCHUP OF THE FINAL EVENT!" Present Mic exclaimed into his microphone, Aizawa groaning a little ways from him, "THIS FIRST FIGHT IS AGAINST THE FIERY FLAME USER WHO'S TAKEN THIS FESTIVAL BY STORM! GIVE IT UP FOR IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Izuku looked around a bit before crossing his arms over his chest, "think this is the first time a crowd's been happy for me to be somewhere." he said, looking across the way at his opponent,

"AND HIS CHALLENGER! A KID WHO LOOKS LIKE HE NEEDS A NAP MORE THAN ERASURE HERE-'

"-watch it-"

"-GENERAL STUDIES OWN SHINSOU HITOSHI!"

"So, finally get to show us all what you're made of huh?" Shinsou asked, narrowing his eyes at Izuku, "you've actually been kind of impressive, what with that special fire quirk you have."

"Are both contestants ready?" Midnight called.

Izuku inclined his head, getting into his ready stance.

"That monkey told you about my quirk didn't he?" Hitoshi asked with a sneer, "he's an idiot, throwing away his one shot for something as ridiculous as honor."

"BEGIN!"

"Watch your mouth!" Izuku snarled, charging forward his fist cocked back.

Everyone watched in shock as Izuku suddenly stopped moving, his eyes glazing over as he simply stood in the middle of the arena.

"Heh, it's over.' Shinsou said with a smirk, "now turn around and walk out of bounds."

Slowly, Izuku turned and began to walk out.

"What the fuck Deku!" Bakugo snarled from the stands, "the fuck are you doing listening to his commands!"

"Damn it! I told him not to talk to him!" Ojiro groaned.

"But what happened? Why is he just walking out?" Kaminari asked in confusion.

Down on the field, Izuku felt like his head was under water.

So this is his quirk huh...it's...peaceful, and dangerous...I have to break it somehow...but how…

...how…

…

"Let the fire of Agni guide you izuku."

Shinsou was forced to cover his eyes as fire suddenly blazed out of Izuku's hand, scorching the ground and sending a wave of hot air through the stadium as Izuku whirled around, now breathing heavily as he clutched his arm, now red and raw from burning himself.

"WHAT'S THIS? MIDORIYA JUST BURNED HIMSELF TO GET OUT OF SHINSOU'S CONTROL!"

"Resourceful." Shinsou began, trying to figure out what to say to make Izuku talk again, "really you lucked out with that quirk-"

Faster than shinsou could follow, Izuku darted forward, his fist driving into the other boy's stomach before a roundhouse sends Shinsou tumbling out of bounds.

"AND THE WINNER IS MIDORIYA BY RING OUT! I was kinda worried for a minute…"

Izuku watched as Shinsou stood, glaring at him, Izuku didn't flinch or look away; instead, he met the glare with his own, adding a challenging smirk that made Shinsou crack a smile.

"Not bad Midoriya...but I got you next time." Shinsou said.

"Looking forward to it." izuku said, laughing internally as Shinsou activated his quirk.

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"DEKU!"

"AAH!"

The entirety of Class 1A sweatdropped as they watched Bakugo pounce on Izuku, getting the laid back fire user in a headlock before punching him repeatedly in the head.

"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT THERE!? YOU ALMOST BLEW IT YOU BASTARD! IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS FESTIVAL AND NOT KICK YOUR ASS THEN I"M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Isn't that redundant!?" Izuku cried, pulling away from Bakugo as Kirishima stepped in between them.

"What did happen down there?" Tsu asked, "It looked like Shinsou took you over for a moment."

"It has something to do with his quirk." Izuku said, rubbing his head where Bakugo had punched it, "brainwashing, dude almost had me too…"

"But I told you how it works!" Ojiro exclaimed, "How did you still get placed under it?"

"I'm not really good at keeping my mouth shut sometimes." Izuku sighed, sitting down as he looked at the arena, "it's Todoroki vs Sero now right?"

"Yep, they haven't started yet." Sato confirmed as they all looked down, "man, Todoroki does NOT look happy."

"Does he ever?" bakugo grumbled.

Izuku leaned forward, "Sero's about to get fucked.' he said plainly.

"Agreed." Bakugo grumbled.

"Oh come on guys!" Kaminari laughed, "give Sero some credit! He's really skillful!"

The match started with a rapid opening attack from Sero, who's tape wrapped around Todoroki and almost sent him out of bounds.

A giant Glacier put a stop to that.

Izuku stared in slight shock at the ice that had almost covered their class, "talk about anger management…" he muttered,shivering slightly at bad memories before looking over to his classmates who were in various stages of shock.

"Did he have to shut Sero out like that? Talk about harsh." Kirishima said quietly.

"I don't think this is about Sero." Uraraka mumbled as Todoroki was declared the winner and the ice was cleared to the cheers of "Nice Try!"

Izuku let out a puff of fire, warming himself up as well as those around him, "if that's an indication of how the rest of this festival is gonna go...then we'll all need to put our game faces on." Izuku said with a hard stare as Iida and Hatsume stepped into the arena.

Fifteen minutes later.

Izuku and Bakugo were hanging off each other laughing as they watched Hatsume basically control Iida like a toy car.

"I can't believe she fooled him with that sportsmanship bullshit!" Bakugo guffawed.

"Oh poor Iida!" Izuku chortled, slowly sliding off the bench as Mina and Sero joined in on their laughing, "undone by a pair of goo-goo eyes!"

"I think it was sweet." Uraraka giggled.

"Until she made him look like an idiot." Mineta chortled, earning him some glares from those around him.

"Either way he won." Izuku chuckled as Hatsume stepped out, "he's gonna need to perform even better in the next few rounds to make sure he gets recognized."

"AND NOW FOR THE NEXT FIGHT! THE HIGH WIRED DUDE WITH A MEGAWATT SMILE! IT'S KAMINARI DENKI! AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, THE SILENT ASSASSIN OF CLASS 1B, SHIOZAKI IBARA!'

Izuku's smile disappeared as Shiozaki spoke up, "oh great," he scoffed, leaning back, "Bible thumper."

"Do you know her?" Uraraka asked.

"No, but I know her type." he sneered, "holier than thou religious zealots who'll try and push their doctrine on anyone they can."

"I very much doubt she is anything like that." Momo said, giving Izuku a disapproving glare.

"Haven't met one who isn't." he muttered, hand flexing slightly before he stands up, "i'm gonna go walk around, see you guys."

"Man, way to bring down the vibe." Mina pouted as they watched Kaminari's fight begin, the high voltage user doing a fairly decent job of dodging vines and sending weaker attacks out at the vine haired girl, 'at least it looks like Kaminari's training paid off!" Mina cheered as the boy tried to get in close, only for a wall of vines to shoot out and slam into him, sending him flying out of the ring. "He didn't go dunce!"

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Three fights later.

Bakugo made his way towards the Arena entrance, feeling confident for the most part, "you just gotta blow cheeks out of the arena and move on." he muttered as he walked, glaring down at the ground, "Don't think too far into it…"

"Yo Bakugo, you good?"

Bakugo looked up, surprised to see Izuku waiting at the exit, "you look like you got somethin' on your mind." Izuku said as his friend got closer.

"Just can't wait to finish this round." he grumbled, "these fights need to pick up speed if we're gonna duke it out."

Izuku chuckled at that, "I'm so glad I rank so high on your priority list." he drawled, putting a hand on Bakugo's shoulder, 'but don't underestimate Uraraka, she's got some fight in her."

"Tch, right."

"I'm serious man." Izuku said, pulling his hand back, 'In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she already has a plan to beat you."

"Will you stop singing her praises already?" he snapped, "i'm gonna blow her out of the ring just like all these other extras, then i'm coming for you!" with that, Bakugo nudged past Izuku, who simply grinned after him.

"May as well go relax until my turn right?" he mumbled, turning around and almost immediately bumping into someone else, "Sorry I-" izuku stopped as he saw just who he ran into, "Number 2 Hero: Endeavor." Izuku said, his grin disappearing and his eyes gaining a slight edge, "It's an honor, sir."

"Hmph...so you're that fire user that Shoto has been talking about." Endeavor rumbled, turning to fully look at Izuku.

"That's me." he says, putting his hands in his pockets to keep himself from clenching his fists, "what can I help you with?"

"You're strong." Endeavor states, stepping towards the younger boy, "and your quirk is the perfect one to show my Shoto how to Achieve his full potential; if you are able to convince him to use his fire, then I can guarantee a spot at my agency when you-"

"-i'm gonna stop you right there, Number Two." Izuku said coldly, making the heroes eyes widen in surprise, "you see, i'm not here to be anyones stepping stone; if Todoroki uses his fire, then it will be through his own will, not mine, and definitely not yours." he brushed past the man, not looking back, "don't think that since we have similar quirks that I feel some kind of...camaraderie with you, number two. I will advance myself without your help, remember that."

Endeavor watched Izuku walk away, "are all children so rebellious?" he wondered out loud with a sniff of disdain.

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Bakugo slowly lowered his arm, his entire body shaking from the explosion that he had used to clear the rocks from the sky, "that was close…" he whispered, turning his gaze back to Uraraka, who was slowly pushing herself back to her feet, "Deku was right about you." Bakugo called with an elated grin, "you really do have some fight in ya."

"I hope you don't think that's all i have left!" Uraraka snapped back, taking off at an unsteady sprint at him.

'Show me what you got Uraraka!" he snarled, preparing to ward off another one of her attacks, only to rush forward when she suddenly swayed and fell, hitting the ground before he could reach her.

"Hey Cheeks! You alright?" He asked, kneeling next to her as she slowly tried to push herself up.

"I...i'm not done…' she croaked out, her arms shaking before giving out. "I'm not done…"

Bakugo looked over to Midnight, then back to Uraraka, "Hey…" he said softly, "Hey, it's alright…"

At this point it was apparent to Bakugo that Uraraka was unconscious, as Midnight called him the winner, he slowly picked up Uraraka, carrying her towards the medical bots who were slowly wheeling their way over.

"Good fight…" Bakugo muttered as he set her onto the stretcher, and watched as she was carried away to recovery girl.

"Thank you...bakugo…" the mumbled words made Bakugo pause for a moment, before he continued towards the tunnel, where Izuku was already waiting.

"Told you she had fight in her.' Izuku said quietly as Bakugo passed her.

"When you're right, you're right…' Bakugo muttered, "now hurry up and finish off Icy-hot."

Izuku chuckled quietly at that, "yeah, yeah, and hey, make sure to check up on Uraraka, i'm sure she'd love to see you again."

"Watch it deku!" Bakugo snapped, glaring at the teen as he walked out onto the arena.

"IT IS NOW TIME FOR THE SECOND ROUND OF THIS TOURNAMENT! WITH OUR FAVORITE FIRE USER IZUKU MIDORIYA GOING HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE STOICK HALF AND HALF ICY-HOT SHOTO TODOROKI!"

Izuku watched Todoroki, hands down at his side, "just met your old man." He called over, "guys as big an asshole as I thought he would be."

Todoroki said nothing, simply kept staring at Izuku.

'I can see why you want nothing to do with him," Izuku continued, "In fact, I can even see why you refuse to use your fire-'

"BEGIN!"

"-but that won't stop me!" with a huge intake of breath the arena around Izuku and Todoroki exploded with fire, making many shield their eyes from it's intensity moments before another giant glacier breaks through the flames, cutting them off and revealing a tapped Izuku, eyes wide with shock and what looks like fear before anger overwrites both emotions.

Unlike his fight with Sero, Todoroki doesn't tell Midnight to end the fight, instead he watches as the glacier begins to glow, within seconds the glacier was gone, leaving a soaked Izuku in its place; breathing heavily with steam rolling off his body.

With a shake of his head Izuku let loose a puff of fire from his mouth before charging forward, spinning kicks and palm strikes sending more and more fire at Todoroki as he closed the gap.

Todoroki responds with Ice Pillars, each one countering Izuku's attacks, the fire burning so hot that they turned to steam on contact.

"A smoke screen…" Todoroki muttered, eyes widening as Izuku was suddenly beside him, driving his fist into the other boys guy and sending him flying. Only a last minute ice wall prevents Todoroki from falling out of the ring.

"Quit holding back and fight me!" Izuku snarled, jumping into the air and bringing his leg down in a fiery axle kick, his flames destroying the wall that Todoroki had just been at as the Half-and-half User relocated.

'Take this!" Todoroki snapped, sending several spikes of ice at Izuku, who simply roared, his breath of fire easily melting the spikes before they could reach him. The two teens glared at each other, with Todoroki's breath puffing out from the overuse of his ice.

"After this fight," Izuku begins, making todoroki tense slightly, "when you train with your fire side, I want a serious match out of you; you know as well as I do that this win will be meaningless to me unless I beat you at your strongest."

"I told you I will never use that mans-" todoroki started, only to be cut off by an angry Izuku.

"IT'S YOUR POWER TODOROKI!" he snapped, "YOUR FIRE, YOUR QUIRK, DON'T LET THE MAN TAINT YOU AND BE YOUR OWN HERO!"

Todoroki feels something inside him snap as fire erupts from his left side, Izuku grins Ferally as he adopts an attack stance, "COME ON!" Izuku challenges, bringing forth his own fire in a devastatingly large attack as Todoroki sent a two pronged attack of fire and ice at Izuku.

The stadium once more erupted in steam as the ice was instantly vaporized; as it cleared away, Izuku was still standing, his jacket gone and his tank top worse for wear; across from him, Shoto was lying on the ground unconscious, a single foot out of bounds.

"UNBELIEVABLE! THE WINNER IS MIDORIYA!"

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Izuku sighed in contentment as he stood under the shower head, letting cold water drum against his head and back. Currently he was standing in the locker room shower, his muscle shirt off, simply letting the water clean off the soot and ash that clung to his body. With a small groan Izuku shut the water off, his quirk quickly drying out his skin and pants before he stepped out and put his muscle shirt back on.

The door opened and Kaminari walked in, "hey dude, you good?" he asked.

"Yeah, just cooling down a bit." Izuku said with a smile.

"Cool, you're about to be called up, facing Iida."

"Good," Izuku muttered, walking out with Kaminari following, "who won between Bakugo and Kirishima?"

"Who else?" Kaminari scoffed,"took a bit but Kirishima was already weak after his little fight with Tetsutetsu."

"And let me guess, he thought it was 'super manly'."

"Yeah," he chuckled, 'can't break the guy's spirit, i'll give him that...good luck Midoriya, really hoping you'll pull a win."

"Thanks Kaminari." Izuku said, bumping fists with Kaminari as he walked out into the arena, grinning at Iida, "no support items this time around?" He teased.

Iida blushed, "that was an underhanded tactic on Hatsume's part! I was appalled at being used like that!"

Izuku chuckled, "appalled or not, it was entertaining." he shook his arms out, falling into a comfortable fighting stance, "don't hold back Iida, I really want to see what you can do."

"BEGIN!"

Iida was off like a rocket, hands coming forward to shove Izuku out of bounds; Izuku quickly dodged the attack, his fists igniting and bathing the area around him with fire, forcing Iida to jump back.

"I said show me what you can do!" Izuku shouted as Iida began running around him, easily dodging any flames that Izuku sent his way before darting in to deliver powerful punches to Izuku's defense that would send the boy sliding across the concrete.

After one of these Kicks Izuku suddenly pitched forward onto his shoulders and spinning, his legs and arms unleashing long sweeping tendrils of fire that forced Iida towards the edge. "Got you." Izuku muttered as he jumped to his feet, right fist shooting out like a viper to deliver a powerful fireball that connected with Iida's chest, knocking the boy out of the ring.

"AND THE WINNER IS MIDORIYA!"

Izuku ran over to Iida as the taller boy got back to his feet, wincing at the pain in his chest, "I tried not to burn you." he began.

"I'm only a bit singed." Iida reassured him, giving him a good natured smile, "I have to admit, I thought I had you there before that little spinning move; was that something your mentor taught you?"

"No I uh...saw it in a music video." Izuku said with a grin.

Iida stared at him in shock, then began to laugh, "only you Midoriya...lets get to the stands."

"I'm actually gonna go sit in the waiting room." Izuku said as they walked towards the tunnel, "I doubt this next fight's gonna last long…"

"You're probably right...good luck in the finals Midoriya."

"Thanks Iida…"

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The time had come.

Bakugo had beaten Tokoyami fairly quickly; His explosions producing enough light to weaken Dark shadow and force the bird headed boy to admit defeat.

Now it was the moment of truth; the stadium filled with cheering as Izuku and Bakugo stepped into the arena.

"NOW THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE FINAL ROUND OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! IN THIS CORNER, THE COOLEST FIRE USER THIS SIDE OF SAITAMA, IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Izuku carefully stretched his arms out, his gaze not leaving Bakugo once.

"AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, THE BOY WITH AN EXPLOSIVE ATTITUDE AND THE SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS BAKUGO KATSUKI!"

"Are both contestants ready!?" Midnight called, gaining a nod from both of them, "BEGIN!"

"DEKU!" Bakugo roared, explosions propelling him forward as Izuku brought his arms forward, golden flames spewing from his fists and forcing Bakugo to change trajectory as he sent his own explosions at the firebender.

With deft movements Izuku easily wove through the attacks, sending his own back at the airborne blonde and forcing him to land. "Try this! HOWITZER IMPACT!" Bakugo snarled, sending the overcharged explosion at Izuku.

And watched with wide eyes as Izuku seemingly parted the explosion with his hands, before unleashing a torrent of flames from his mouth, forcing Bakugo to dodge out of the way.

"Gotta do better than that!" Izuku shouted, jumping into the air and coming down with a flaming axle kick, one that Bakugo blocked with his forearms.

"DIE!"

The explosion sent Izuku flying back across the arena, digging his heels into the ground to keep himself within the boundary, he exploded back towards Bakugo, a series of combos sending flames at the boy who utilized his explosions to keep himself injury free even as his muscles contracted painfully.

"Is this all you got Deku!?" Bakugo sneered through gritted teeth, "generic shitty fire? Where's that Lightning i've heard so much about!?"

Izuku narrowed his eyes, keeping his stance up as Bakugo took a step back.

"All i've been hearing is how amazing it is when you summon lightning, how powerful!" He spat, "and yet I've never seen you use it, what's the matter? Are all those people just full of shit? Or are you full of shit?"

Izuku clenched his jaw, "remember you asked for this, Kacchan." he said, beginning to go through the technique.

"BRING IT YOU SHITTY NERD!" Bakugo roared, levelling both hands at Izuku as blue arcs of electricity began to jump from his body, "Your Lightning against my Twin Howitzer Impact! We'll see who number one is!"

"Midnight we need to stop the fight!" Cementoss shouted from the sidelines, hands reaching for the ground as Midnight began to pull on her Uniform.

"DIE!"

"ARRRGH!"

Thunder roared over the sound of an explosion as several concrete barriers sprang up between the two rivals. The concussive impact from both sent a shockwave through the arena, knocking over anyone who hadn't already braced themselves in preparation for what was sure to be a powerful finale; dust and smoke clouded the arena, making Aizawa jump to his feet as he shouted through the microphone.

"Midnight what's going on down there!"

"I don't know!" Midnight coughed, 'give it a second, it's clearing up…"

The crowd watched with a held breath as the smoke slowly cleared out, revealing the destroyed concrete slabs that had done nothing to stop the two powerful attacks from meeting head on and forming a crater in the middle of the arena.

"Unbelievable." Midnight whispered, "They're…"

"They're…"Cementoss started in disbelief,

"THEY'RE BOTH DOWN!" Present Mic exclaimed, and it was true, both Bakugo and Izuku were lying, unmoving, in the arena, both covered in soot and ash, "WHAT AN UNEXPECTED TWIST! COULD THIS BE THE FIRST DRAW THAT THIS FESTIVAL WILL SEE!"

"Wait! Midoriya's moving!" Midnight called out.

The entire arena took a breath as slowly Izuku began to move, his arms weakly pushing against the ground for a few moments before his chest began to lift up, Izuku let out a pained groan as he pushed himself to a kneeling position, breathing heavily before forcing himself to his feet.

"Midoriya is up!" Midnight called, "and Bakugo has fallen unconscious! The winner by knock out is Izuku Midoriya!"

The arena burst into thunderous cheers as Izuku looked up, his eyes slightly out of focus as he looked about; then slowly, he raised his fist up in victory.

All over Japan, People watching the sports festival had mixed reactions:

The spiky haired man with burn marks covering most of his body was impressed; the boy who used to run with him on the street had gotten even better, and he couldn't wait to face him again.

The girl with sharp teeth and a knife clasped in her hand was giggling, giddily dreaming of meeting the fire user and wondering if his blood was spicey.

Gin watched the fight in the Mess Hall of the JDC, Cheering alongside his fellow inmates for their old friend who had made it out of the life.

Pakku watched from the teachers box, still wary of the boy, but undenying of his skill and tenacity.

Iroh watched from the stands, inhibitor cuffs on his wrists and parole papers folded in his back pocket as he cheered for his honorary nephew.